Tree of Life
by Camille22
Summary: Regina had a pendant of the tree of life, but when she becomes Queen, she doesn't wear it anymore. What happened to it? - Set before 2x05 and after 2x22.


**In the episode of Once Upon A Time 2x02, 'We are both', we can see that Regina has a pendant, the pendant of the tree of life. But then, in the episode 2x05 'The Doctor' Regina is already a Queen, and she has no longer the pendant. And this is my version of what happened to it.**

* * *

Snow ran through the hallway, taking her violet dress between her hands so as not to trip over it. She shouldn't be running, Johanna and Regina had told her that many times, but she wanted to get as fast as possible to her stepmother. Once outside the door, she settled carefully her dress and took a breath before hitting the door with taps.

The door opened within seconds, and she smiled when she saw her new stepmother on the other side of the door. She wasn't wearing a dress as she had done the previous day, this time she was wearing clothes that could be used for riding. She loved that about Regina; she loved riding, and Snow wanted to ride with her, but she still couldn't dare to get on a horse. Not after what she had been through.

"Snow, what are you doing here?" Regina said walking backwards, leaving the door open to go to her dresser.

"I just wanted to know if it was true you were going to ride." Snow said entering the room and closing the door gently behind her.

"Yes, it is true." Regina said simply, putting on her earrings. She looked in the mirror her stepdaughter's face and couldn't help but furrow her brow. "What's wrong, dear?"

"I wanted to know if one day, you could help me get back to riding." Snow said shyly. The last time she had trying to get back on a horse, she had found Regina with the stable boy. And she knew that the stable boy had fled away, leaving Regina alone. Luckily, she had found love in her father and now the three of them were a family. "If you want, of course."

Regina frowned, lowering her gaze. She was trying to be nice to the girl, because she had managed to get away from her mother's control and she no longer felt that anger and hatred she felt every day when her mother was with her . Snow was a child, and Regina couldn't help but caring for this child. It was obvious that Snow was always trying to get her attention, or always seeking her approval. She loved her. And that was the reason why she was trying to be nice to her. Her mother had been always cruel with her when she was a child, and now she was someone's mother, _well_, stepmother. But the way Snow's eyes watched her every day, it could be said that the girl looked at her as if she were her mother, with love and adoration. And Regina didn't want to repeat her mother's mistakes; she didn't want to be cruel to a child.

And she could keep doing this, because now she was going to take lessons with Rumpelstiltskin. She had told him she was going to take lessons with him to have more power, but what she really wanted was to learn how to bring someone from death. Magic could do many things, and Regina hoped that was one of those things. She wanted true happiness, and although she could have moments of happiness, sometimes with her father, sometimes with Snow, she wasn't happy. If she could bring Daniel from the death, she was going to be truly happy. With him.

"Of course. Someday I'll help you get back on a horse." Regina said forming a small smile. And she felt a bit of pain to see Snow's eyes light up; she could never help her return to a horse if her plan was as she wanted. She would run away with Daniel and she would never see Snow again.

"Thank you so much, Regina." Snow said with a big smile, approaching closer to her stepmother. She turned her gaze to her dresser and frowned when she saw a small object. "You're not taking this pendant? It's really beautiful."

Regina turned her gaze to the object in Snow's hands. It was her gold pendant, the tree of life. She decided not to use it since she had sent her mother away. But she still kept it; it was a gift from her mother, as many gifts she had given to her. Although Regina loved that her mother gave her things, she always knew that these things were given without love. But she loved the pendant, because it reminded her of her apple tree.

But she didn't want to use it. She did not want anything else from her mother.

"No, I will _not_ use it more." Regina said simply, watching her reflection in her mirror, arranging the braids in her hair.

"Oh, and why is that?" Regina had to have known that Snow was going to ask that question. She was a very curious girl.

"Because I am a Queen now and Queens don't wear that kind of pendant."

Regina turned around after having arranged her braids, and she couldn't help but move her eyes to her stepdaughter. Snow was staring intently at the pendant, gently moving her fingers through it. She frowned slightly, knowing what she could do with that pendant.

"Would you like to take it?"

Snow lifted her gaze to her, with a big smile on her face. "Really?"

"Yes..." Regina smiled slightly. "To always remember me."

Snow grinned and approached her, encircling her waist with her thin arms. Regina sighed slightly and rested her chin on the girl's head, wrapping her body in her arms as well. She knew this was the girl who had betrayed her, she was the cause of Daniel's death, but if Daniel would come back, and she would run away with him, she didn't want to leave this girl without anything from her.

Regina knew she should hate her, but she couldn't do it completely. There was times when she just couldn't look at Snow, because all she could see was the girl who had caused Daniel's death. But then there were times like this, in which she had the feeling to want to be a good influence on this girl, she didn't want to be evil with a little girl who loved her as she was her mother.

"Snow..." Regina whispered, deciding it was time that she should stay away from Snow, before tears could get away from her eyes. "I should get going."

"Oh, right." Snow said moving away from her. She raised her hands and smiled again, moving her gaze from the pendant to Regina's eyes. "I'll keep it with me always, Regina. Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear." Regina replied, lightly caressing her right cheek.

"I must return with Johanna. I'll see you at dinner?"

Regina nodded. "See you at dinner."

Snow smiled once more before turn around and head towards the door, then disappearing of her sight. She sighed deeply, shaking her head to clear the thoughts of her head. She had to do this. She had to go to Rumpelstiltskin, and learn how to bring someone from death to could get Daniel back. It was the only way she could be _truly_ happy.

* * *

Regina snorted getting into the Charmings' cabin. She wasn't supposed to be here, but she just had to take a couple of pillows to her own cabin and back toward it. When she came in, she could see that they had space. She rolled her eyes, remembering that they were three. She couldn't even imagine how embarrassing it must be for Emma Swan sleep in the same room with her parents. Well, she didn't want to think about that right now, so she went to one of the beds to get what she was looking for.

She took a couple of pillows and quickly got out of bed, without even having delicacy about it. But as the pillows out of bed, she felt a loud noise on the floor. Regina lowered her gaze, noting that Snow's backpack was there.

_Great, now she had probably broken something of Snow White._

Regina left the pillows aside and stooped to pick up the backpack. The closure was open, so some things had managed to get out of the backpack. She took first Henry's book, her fingers clutching the object, remembering her beloved son.

How he could be out there without her protection, or at least someone's protection? She always knew that while Henry was away from her, at least he was under the protection of David, and then Emma and Snow. Three adults were there to protect him, but now there was no one. Her innocent child was out there alone, who knows how. And although she could hate that damn phrase, she knew she would find him. They would find him.

Letting out a sigh, and holding back tears, Regina placed Henry's book back in Snow's backpack and turned her eyes to the blanket that was sticking out of the backpack. She took it lightly and carefully cleared it away, to see what it was. She frowned, not knowing why Snow White could bring a baby blanket in her backpack, but after turning the blanket, she knew the reason.

Emma's name was embroidered in purple on a corner of the blanket. Surely, this was Emma's baby blanket, and Snow as mother wanted to bring it to any place where they were going. Well, they were going to the Enchanted Forest, while she would be dead. But they decided to return for her. They'd come back for her.

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_You were willing to die to save us, that makes you a hero. And now we're gonna be heroes." Henry said with hope as always._

_"We're gonna open a portal and send this thing through to avoid." David said looking at the magic between her hands._

"_No." She said firmly. "You don't know that it'll work."_

"_We have to try." Snow said._

She could remember the looks Snow and she shared. She didn't know why she stopped to think about this, but she was doing it. They were willing to risk death to save her; she knew when Snow said those last words to her. And so they did, because they all thought they were going to die. She was already resigned, but having Henry at her side did nothing but break her. She loved him so much, she needed to see him again; she needed at least know that he was safe.

The tears were about to come out of her eyes, so she quickly put Emma's baby blanket inside the backpack again, and returned her gaze to the last object that had managed to get out of the backpack. She frowned, knowing very well that object. She took it carefully between her hands, and watched it, unable to believe that Snow may have found this.

It was Snow's memory box. Of course she knew this box. She had shown it to her. Regina looked at the door, making sure there was no one who could come in and interrupt her. She placed the small box in front of her and opened it gently, watching what was inside.

There were Snow's personal items. Necklaces and rings that she well knew, but there was something she didn't know. A pair of pink baby booties. Regina frowned slightly and took the baby booties, watching them curiously. This probably should have been Emma's baby booties. Now she could feel some of the pain of Snow White. Her child was away from her, she had no idea how he could be, and that was breaking her heart more and more. Snow had to send her baby through a wardrobe, not knowing how she would be, and knowing she wouldn't see her again, at least until she was twenty-eight.

Regina shook her head slightly, taking the thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to start feeling guilty about everything she had done, because if she did that, she would be full and full of guilt. She placed the baby booties where they were, but something caught her attention. Something was shining on the bottom of the small box. She ran a couple of rings and took what was shining. It was a pendant gold. A pendant of tree of life. It was the pendant that once she had given Snow.

Regina swallowed quickly, taking the pendant completely from the box. She frowned, wondering how Snow had managed to keep it. But most important of things, why she had done it? This thing was among her most valuable things. Did Snow considering this pendant as one of her most valuable things? Why? After all they had been through, why she still kept something she had given her?

She heard footsteps from the door, and she lifted her gaze to meet Snow's face, staring at her in amazement and surprise. She clutched the pendant at her fingers, and gulped slightly.

"What are you doing here?" Snow spoke first, delicately. "And with that?"

"The backpack fell and..." Regina didn't know what to say, she was absolutely shocked at the thought of Snow keeping her pendant, and then having to confront Snow about this. "Why do you keep it?"

"I took my box always with me, even when Graham took me to the woods to... kill me." Snow sighed approaching at her. "I never threw the box away, nor did I throw the pendant away."

"Why?" Regina said quickly as Snow knelt in front of her, closing the small box.

"You said to always remember you. And that's what I did." Regina frowned confused at that, so Snow said with her voice calm. "Although I always thought that you could change for the things that I remembered of you and me, this was a solid thing that I could see and remember what you were. This pendant did exactly what you wanted it to do. It always reminded of you. The _real_ you."

An awkward silence filled the room. Regina didn't dare to raise her eyes, and Snow didn't pressure to keep talking about that topic. She took her backpack and stood up on her feet, giving herself back to place the backpack on her bed. Regina got up softly, her eyes still on the pendant.

She wasn't sure what to do. She wanted this pendant back? Or she should give it back to Snow White?

Snow turned again, this time finding Regina staring at the pendant. "Do you want it back?"

"This is a gift from my mother to me." Regina said quickly, raising her eyes to find Snow's eyes. "You killed her. You shouldn't keep it."

Regina frowned slightly to see a hint of sadness in Snow's eyes. She wasn't sure why this time. The mention of her mother's death, or that she wouldn't keep more this pendant? "It's – it's okay." Snow said softly. "You're right. If this was a gift from your mother to you, you should keep it."

Another silence filled the room as Regina's fingers clung to her _new-old_ pendant. Snow turned her gaze to either side to deflect her brown eyes, but Regina couldn't help staring her face, remembering some things from their past. After all these years, she had kept her pendant. She'd placed it with her most valuable possessions.

_"I'll keep it with me always, Regina. Thank you."_

Yes, she did. She could fulfill her word for it, at least.

Snow turned to head out the door, walking a few steps to leave the room, and Regina just sighed lowering her gaze.

"Wait."

Snow frowned, confused. But she turned again, not knowing what she would find this time. Regina had made it clear that she couldn't keep that pendant. And she didn't blame her for that. She had every right to have it back, but that did nothing but hurt her, at least a little. Of course, it was a simple pendant. But it was more than that to her. That pendant was all she kept of Regina, her true stepmother.

Regina reached out her hand to her, and Snow's eyes widened in surprise. "I've given it to you once."

Snow opened her mouth, totally shocked. "I – I wasn't expecting you to give it to me back, you have every right to keep it, Regina. It was always yours."

"Yes, it's true." Regina replied nervously, not knowing how to get this woman accept this pendant back. "It is mine, but I want you to continue keeping it."

Snow raised her eyebrows completely shocked, but Regina could see something in her eyes. A brightness. "Really?"

_Snow lifted her gaze to her, with a big smile on her face. "Really?"_

"Yes." She replied, trying not to repeat the same words she once said. "I know that you want it back."

"But... your mother..."

"And now I'm giving it to you." She frowned slightly, realizing her words. "Again." She sighed slightly, moving her look of the pendant to Snow's eyes again. "So, you want it back or not?"

"Yes!" Snow sighed slightly, berating herself for responding so excitedly. "Yes..." She repeated this time more calmly. Regina raised her eyebrows slightly, and extended her hand to her again. Snow took the pendant forming a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Regina said lightly.

She kept her eyes on Snow, watching the woman examined the pendant, as it was the first time she was seeing it. It was amazing as were many times in which she could see the little girl, or the teenager who she had raised in this woman, her worst enemy.

"I just came here for this." Regina spoke back, making Snow back to reality. The brunette came over to the bed and took a couple of pillows. "I assumed that you would have many pillows here."

"Oh, yes, of course." Snow said moving quickly to one side, her fingers clutching the pendant.

Regina nodded slightly as she moved toward the door. She opened the door and turned to see Snow; she was placing the pendant in the little box again. She cleared her throat to get Snow's attention, and so she did.

She moved her lips to the side, something uncomfortable about saying this, but she knew she had to. She took courage and returned to find Snow's eyes. "Thanks for keeping it, anyway."

Snow smirked and nodded slightly. "I said always. I'll keep holding on to that."

Regina nodded slightly before turning and walking out of the cabin, heading towards her own. If Snow kept her pendant all this time, that meant that she was always present – in some way – in her life. Of course, she was always present in Snow White's life, trying to destroy it, but when Snow looked that pendant, she herself had said, it reminded her. The _real_ her. And she wanted more than anything to be that person again, for Henry. She wanted her son's love, but she wanted love. She wanted to be loved by Henry, and she already was, she would never forget his words.

_"I love you too."_

She had Henry's love now. But why she felt so good knowing that Snow might still believed in her? There was no way that they could return to what they once were; a family. Now they were family because of Henry. Or they'd always been family and she had never seen it?

Regina shook her head slightly, taking the thoughts from her mind. But she kept one; what if Snow really believed in her? She might still believe she could change?

She couldn't help but formed a small – but real – smile on her lips.

* * *

**This came to my mind a few days ago, when I was re-watching the episode in which Regina takes lessons from Rumpelstiltskin, and I could tell she didn't have anymore her pendant, the pendant of the tree of life. And well, my imagination led me to Snow and Regina.**

**I would love to see what you all think about this! And I hope you liked it. :)**

**Oh, and I'm sorry if there's grammatical errors!**

**And about my other fanfic _'Make A Wish'_ I have planned to write about it tomorrow, or maybe I'll start today evening. Anyways, thank you for reading! :) And please, leave me a review letting me know what you think about this?**


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